


A Lesson in Patience and Humidity

by alatariel_gildaen



Category: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (TV), Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell - Susanna Clarke
Genre: Bath Sex, F/M, Masturbation, Oral Sex, Shameless Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-16
Updated: 2015-08-16
Packaged: 2018-04-15 03:06:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4590690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alatariel_gildaen/pseuds/alatariel_gildaen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On a hot, humid summer evening, Arabella bathes and Jonathan joins her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Lesson in Patience and Humidity

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for an anon I received on tumblr who asked for some Jonathan/Arabella smut. Because there is a serious dearth of what is essentially canonical sex in this fandom!
> 
> And I tried to write a proper summary. I really did. But there's very little plot here, so who am I trying to kid?

It did not take long to settle back into domestic bliss after returning from the Peninsula. In next to no time at all, Jonathan Strange wondered exactly how he had managed to cope for three years without so many home comforts. Three years of sleeping on dusty roads or splintered wooden floors made him appreciate a soft mattress and a pillow of down; three years of alternating blistering sun and tempestuous storms made him appreciate England’s temperate climate together with the protective roof over his head; and three years of only being able to bathe in rivers— in the company of many, many soldiers— made him appreciate the luxury of a hot, private bath.

It had been a muggy, overcast day, with very little movement in the air, and despite having done very little to cause physical exertion, Jonathan could feel his clothes sticking to his body more and more with each passing moment. His wife had already taken the wise step of having Mary—her maid—fill the bath for her, and had retired upstairs to soak in comfort. As he thought of the little indulgence Arabella was enjoying, a twinge of jealousy, coupled with something else, something far more primal, raced through him and he desperately looked around the room in search of some distraction.

His eyes landed upon a half-empty glass of red wine, and with a great deal of effort he leaned forward, peeling himself away from the sopha, to pick up the glass. The slight movement made him realise just how uncomfortable he was, and he drained the glass with an exasperated huff. 

A movement in the hall caught his attention. “Mary?” he called, and moments later, the timid young maid entered the drawing room, bearing a silver tray and a large pewter jug. 

She bobbed slightly in polite greeting. “Yes, sir?” she asked.

“Is that water for Mrs Strange?”

“Yes, sir.”

He closed his eyes and rested back against the sopha as the wine caused an extra flush of warmth to race through him. “Leave it there,” he said, indicating the sideboard. “I shall ensure she gets it.”

“But, sir, Mrs Strange is…. She’s bathing, sir.”

It took all of his effort to prevent himself from rolling his eyes. He fixed the maid with an ironic glare. “I am well aware of that, thank you.”

The young maid flushed a deep shade of crimson and bobbed in an awkward curtsy, before hurriedly backing away. Once she was out of sight, he loosened his neck tie, collected the jug of water, and walked quickly upstairs, finding his wife reclining in the bath, her eyes closed, a look of absolute contentment upon her face.

She was beauty personified, and Jonathan smiled to himself at his incredible fortune as he closed the door behind him. She half opened one eye and said, "I was wondering when my peace would be disturbed."

"I come bearing a gift," he said, indicating the jug of water. "Surely that does not qualify as disturbing you?"

"Hmmm. Is the water hot?"

"Yes, my love."

"Then you have disturbed me. The temperature of the bath is quite acceptable as it is, Jonathan. You may leave now." 

Her words may have been dismissive, but there was a sparkle to the slight smile that uplifted the corners of her mouth, and a playfulness to her tone which Jonathan recognized. He placed the jug on a sideboard and dipped his fingers into the bath water, withdrawing them immediately.

"Good Lord, Arabella, you'll catch your death in that!"

"Jonathan, I have been far too warm all day. And this water is hardly cold! I have never understood how you could possibly sit in such terribly hot water after being uncomfortable in a summer heat."

"And I have never understood why you would rather freeze." He looked over at the pewter jug, watching the streams of steam rise up from it. "It seems such a terrible waste to allow this water to go cold."

"But it is hardly the end of the world if it does."

Jonathan straightened himself to his fullest and said, "I cannot approve of this wasteful attitude. If you do not wish to make use of this hot water, then perhaps I should."

"That is all very well, Jonathan, but as you can see, this bath is already occupied." She closed her eyes and laid back further in the water, a little sigh of contentment escaping her lips.

Jonathan took the opportunity to run his eyes over her form, his gaze resting for a particularly long moment on the point where her legs crossed and uncrossed. His cock was already hard and straining uncomfortably against the fabric of his trousers. His mind beginning to wander down very physical paths, he said, "As master of this house, I feel that I should be able to bathe as and when I choose. It really is most inconvenient to me to have to wait."

"I am sorry, Jonathan, but you will just have to do precisely that."

"Perhaps," he replied, unable to contain his smile. "Or perhaps not. I believe there is room enough in there for two."

"Oh, you do, do you?" she laughed.

"Absolutely. Allow me to prove it."

He divulged himself of his clothes as quickly as possible, leaving them where they fell upon the floor, then he slipped in behind her and pulled her close to him, shivering as he did so due to the coolness of the water. His erection pressed into the small of her back and she wiggled her hips very slightly, placing a glorious pressure against him. 

"Jonathan?" she said, with the vaguest hint of a laugh lilting her voice. "Is that you?"

He ground his teeth against the personal slight. "It is cold in here," he said by way of explanation.

She leaned back against him, resting her head against his chest, while she ran her hand along the length of his thigh. "Then perhaps we should find a way to warm you."

"I can think of the perfect way," he answered. He grinned widely as she continued to stroke his leg, and in return he placed a series of kisses along the slender lines of her neck and shoulders. Whilst one hand gently traced the curves and slopes of her waist and hips, his other gently cupped and squeezed the soft mound of her breast. She whined as his fingertips ran over the puckered, hardened flesh of her nipple, and she threw her head back, pushing her back into him as his hand ducked lower, coming to rest between her thighs. 

The moment his fingers brushed against her clit, she dug her fingernails into his leg almost painfully, gripping on to him as he pulled her body flush against his own, gently sucking and nibbling at her earlobe while he continued to stroke and circle her wet folds. 

"Jonathan, my love...." she gasped as he pushed a finger inside her. She reached behind her and grasped a fistful of his hair, continuing to moan and call out his name, while he laved her neck with open mouthed kisses. 

He returned his attention to the engorged nub of flesh at her centre, and with each stroke, and each delicious groan he elicited from her, he could feel himself getting harder and harder, until, with a choked cry, her entire body stiffened and arched. Her breath came out in ragged gasps, and she quickly pushed his hand away from her all-too-sensitive flesh.

She gave a little breathless chuckle. "Well, my love, I do hope that has gone some way to help warm you."

"I believe it was probably more beneficial to you. But no matter," he added. His hand hovered just over the surface of the water. He whispered a couple of words and immediately the temperature began to increase.

"Stop that!" cried Arabella, struggling away from his embrace.

"Stop what?"

"Stop doing magic!"

"But it is still far too cold," replied Jonathan in a tone of infuriating reasonableness. 

"Then you should have waited and allowed me to bathe in peace! It is not right that you should interrupt me so, and seduce me purely to get your own way. You may boil yourself alive to your heart's content when I am done!" 

"But, Bell—"

"No, Jonathan. If you wish to bathe with me, you will do so on my terms."

"Just a little warmer?" he asked, raising the temperature anyway before she could answer. 

It was the final straw for Arabella, who, without another word, rose up out of the huge copper bath, taking great care to ensure she splashed her husband in the face as she did so.

"Arabella, wait—" he said, reaching out to take her hand and pausing to admire her naked figure. His eyes followed the trail of a particular bead of water as it dropped from her soaked hair, and ran over the soft mound of her breast, skimming past the dusky pink of her nipple, gliding down over the plane of her belly until it finally came to rest in the soft brown curls at the apex of her thighs. His cock twitched impatiently in the water and his mind went entirely blank.

"Yes, my love?" she said, an amused tone to her voice.

"Come back to me," he said after finally being able to tear his gaze from her body. "I promise to be as meek and subservient as a lamb."

"No more magic?"

"No more magic," he agreed. 

She raised an eyebrow. "I do not trust you, Mr Strange. And I know of only one way to make you meek and subservient. You may stand up."

She spoke in such an authoritarian manner that he did as she instructed immediately and without question, and with a wicked grin, Arabella dropped to her knees in front of him. 

"Oh, Bell," he whispered as she slowly licked his entire length, from the base to the tip. His legs very nearly buckled from underneath him, and he wound his hands into her hair to steady himself. She looked up into his eyes and kissed the head of his cock lightly, once, twice, three times, drawing a long groan from him, before she took almost all of his length into her mouth. He marveled at the sight of himself disappearing inside of her and gripped her hair even tighter as she sucked gently and pulled away, releasing him with a slight popping sound. 

She alternated between kissing, licking, and sucking, and seemed to feed off the whining, keening sounds that each movement drew from him. Time and again, she drew him into her mouth, sucking with just enough pressure to make his knees weak, releasing him, and placing feather light kisses over the tip. 

"Bell...." he whispered once more, as she gripped the base of his cock and began to twist and pump him in time with her bobbing head. After a few seconds, she used her other hand to cup his balls, gently massaging as she swirled her tongue over and around his head. Then she looked up at him with wide, smiling eyes, and firmly ran her finger along his perineum.

It was too much. He gasped a quick warning to her. Every muscle in his body was taut and charged, his skin prickled with energy, his breathing was quick and shallow, and he erratically jerked his hips several times, spilling into her mouth as she continued to suck and lick him through the wave of his orgasm.

It took several moments for Jonathan to come back to himself, and even as Arabella pushed down on his shoulders, forcing him to sit back down in the temperate water, his heart was still pounding in his ears. 

"Are we feeling meek and subservient now?" 

Dazedly, he looked up at his wife who was wearing nothing but a very self satisfied smile.

"Yes, my love," he answered. "Undoubtedly."

"That is good to know. But I seem to have lost the inclination to bathe. If you wish to join me in your meek subservience, you may find me in our bedroom. I give you permission to bring whatever magic you have at your fingertips that you feel may be beneficial. Or you can stay in here, slowly cooking yourself. I shall leave the choice to you." And with that, she wrapped herself in woven linens, and left Jonathan alone. 

He pushed his wet curls away from his face and took a moment or two to catch his own breath before he too wrapped himself in linens and made his way straight to the bedroom. Not that he was in any way complaining, but really, his wife had left him with very little choice in the matter.


End file.
